Florida company acquires Career Start

Rochester-based staffing and human resource firm Career Start has been acquired by Florida-based Excelsis Investments, a move the companies say will expand greatly Career Start’s reach.

The acquisition, announced Monday, is expected to increase employee placements by more than 200 percent at Career Start, company officials said. The company’s headquarters will remain in Rochester, where it was founded in 2007.

“This is such a positive opportunity,” said Lindsay Taliento, Career Start’s founder and CEO. “In Excelsis Investments, we now have the partner that we need to expand and continue to grow.

“We have always focused on the service we provide for our clients, and that will always be our main priority. Our service offerings are certainly expanding, but our commitment to the highest-quality customer service will remain the same.”

Career Start incorporates full-service human resources and staffing offerings with guidance to employers on state, federal and local job training and career development resources. The acquisition will allow the company to expand its service capabilities, aiding in plans to stretch operations across the United States.

Career Start officials have said the company already is targeting the Connecticut, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania markets for expansion.

“Part of our strategic plan is to grow in a smart, but aggressive, way,” Taliento said. “There’s certainly room for us to grow in Western New York, but there are opportunities in other states, as well, where companies can benefit from the unique staffing solutions that Career Start offers.

“Capitalizing on those opportunities, however, means we need the resources and financial capital to invest in establishing a presence nationally, which this acquisition provides.”

Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Based in the Tampa Bay area, Excelsis Investments was formerly known as P.C. Holdings Inc.